the fear of conflict is almost always a sign of problems. - Patrick Lencioni

On a cohesive team, leaders are not there simply to represent the departments that they lead and manage but rather to solve problems that stand in the way of achieving success for the whole organization. That means they'll readily offer up their departments' resources when it serves the greater good of the team, and they'll take an active interest in the thematic goal regardless of how closely related it is to their functional area.

company needs to be able to articulate exactly what it does, whom it serves, and against whom it competes. Why? Because all employees should be made to feel like salespeople or ambassadors for the firm, and they cannot do this without a fundamental understanding of an organization's business. More important, without this understanding, employees cannot connect their individual roles to the overall direction of the larger organization.

How many of you would rather go to a meeting than a movie? No hands went up. Why not? After a pause, Jeff realized that her question was not a rhetorical one. Because movies are more interesting. Even the bad ones. His peers chuckled. Kathryn smiled. Right. But if you really think about it, meetings should be at least as interesting as movies.